Arrested Development is testament to this since the inception of their hip hop outfit in 1991. Having championed consciousness, culture, beats and melody through their critically-acclaimed releases and boisterous live shows, Arrested Development have proudly produced music with a sole purpose of addressing themes of equality, love and spirituality. Discussing Arrested Development’s influence, lead emcee Speech speaks with me about his parent’s involvement within the Civil Rights Movement, the twentieth anniversary tour in Australia and finding your voice.
“We tried gangsta rap,” Speech begins. “We didn’t know what we wanted to rap about. We were imitating others and it wasn’t our true voice…We started drawing upon our own upbringings. My parents were Civil Rights activists and I decided I wanted to bring about change through music.” Seeing his parents fight against denied civil rights including the right to vote, the access to equal opportunities, to schooling and to jobs, affected Speech in a very real way. Recalling on his earlier childhood memories, he says, “Growing up in Milwaukee I saw our neighbours destroying our property. They also physically beat me and my brother up.” These events transpired to his music, and now his biggest advice for unsigned artists is to connect with your own voice and to find something that you’re supposed to be doing, which is totally unique. He explains, “It is easier to gain an audience, to get a record deal and maintain a career in the long haul when you bring something to the table that is very rare.”
Speech’s introduction to music was through his father’s R&B and disco nightclub in the late ‘70s. Not knowing how to play an instrument, he began dabbling with the art of DJing which he soon fell in love with. Pursuing music at a professional level became his focus, saying that nothing else gravitated towards him in the same way music did. He was passionate about teaching too, but music was more special. “I loved to express myself and I saw music as a real outlet to do that,” he says.
Arrested Development’s Grammy winning debut album 3 Years, 5 Months, 2 Days In The Life Of… was astutely named after the amount of time it took to land a record deal. Speech says of the experience, “There were definitely times we thought we were going to quit. I promised my parents if nothing happened with Arrested Development within two years I would go back to school and study education. Two years passed and there was no record deal. Then within that third year and fifth month it so happened we did get a record deal when I was already back at school.”
Their first studio album received a glowing response, garnering Arrested Development with a bevy of accolades – a Grammy included. “We saw ourselves as a trend setting group,” he explains, “We knew we would get respect but we were not sure people would gravitate towards it…MTV changed the game when they picked up the video. Our lyrics had maturity, but we were a young hip hop group. MTV gave us the audience we were looking for.” When they were awarded with the Grammy for Best New Artist, Speech says they were beyond shocked as they were the first hip hop group to have ever received the award. “It was something we needed. A lot of black radio stations weren’t very supportive at first, despite our lyrics concerning the community. Many were wary of…our style. The Grammy was a confirmation and we were grateful because it helped us to do better in the black community ironically.” Despite the awards, his most significant musical achievement was when he wrote Tennessee. “I lost my brother to an asthma attack when he was 29 and I had lost my grandma to a heart attack the week before. It was such a traumatic week. Tennessee was the first single and the first hit so it means the world to me. I’ll never forget that moment in time.”
Keen to arrive in Australia for the Twentieth Anniversary tour, Speech says, “I really love Australia, so does the whole group. The people are what interest us most…There is a laidback feel in Australia, sort of relaxed. They are very open and accepting and we like that.” Commenting on their twentieth anniversary he says, “As a hip hop group it’s rare that we get to celebrate 20 years. Music and artists are so disposable in hip hop so the 20 year landmark is amazing…We are excited to celebrate the experience with our fans in a spiritual union; people coming together and jamming to the music. We are celebrating a time period when music was so bold and innovative. It’s really just a special tour, especially because the hip hop scene has changed so much towards a celebration of ignorance and of degradation of women.”
Connecting music back to politics, Speech is still adamant it can help to reduce apathy within younger generations. “Music has united people too, in a way that has never been done before. Hip hop particularly united whites or blacks more than any other tool can and has helped race relations.”
BY TAMARA VOGL
